What She Says is the Biggest Obstacle to Weight Loss

Cindy Brown says there is hope for the woman who wants to be thinner and still wants to live a busy, normal life.By Brigid Morrissey

If necessary, Cindy recommends nutrition supplements for her clients to meet their specific needs.

Cindy Brown struggled with her weight as a youngster. Her childhood consisted of trips to the dietitian, yo-yoing numbers on the scale, and less than appetizing meals. “I was told at age 5 that I was borderline diabetic and would be diagnosed before I was 30,” she says. Now,

at Cindy’s business, Cedar Grove Wellness Center in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, clients see a thin, healthy woman. “I say to them, ‘I come to you with principles that I’ve practiced from a young age.’ We carry around our demons and hurt from childhood.”

Photos by Patti Hartog

Cindy uses her experiences and education (she holds several fitness certifications) to aid women who walk into her wellness center. “Body chemistry and nutrition is considered a math. It changed my way of thinking. I never wanted to prescribe medications. I wanted to heal the body naturally, and I did.” The bulk of Cindy’s method is nutrition-based. Instead of stressing the latest extreme diet or preaching exercise seven days a week, she uses the honest approach. “I gain 10 pounds at Christmastime, and I’m not ashamed of it. I’m not afraid to live. I love being real with people. Instead of having a competitive environment, I want a loving, supportive, positive environment.”

Cindy’s honesty includes the acceptance of changes in our culture and trends. “If it’s not convenient and easy, then it’s not going to happen, because we’re busier than we’ve ever been as women.” Her training and nutrition program allows clients to have structure and support but requires internal drive and resolve to make the necessary life changes. “I analyze what they’ve been doing, change their exercise routine, give them a meal plan, and monitor them. I see them consistently but quickly, and when I see them begin to heal, I let them loose.”

A major obstacle that Cindy consistently battles in her clients? Guilt. “No one talks about it. I’m here to help. I want people to understand that they’re not alone.”

Once Cindy’s clients can begin to let go of their guilt from eating one too many slices of cheesy bread without a trip to the gym, then they can, according to Cindy, start to make changes in their physical routine. “When you try to be extreme, you eventually lose it.” Her plan empathizes with the average modern woman who doesn’t have time to cook every evening and work out every day. Instead, learning a few tricks, such as not allowing those addictive sweets in the house, and doing a combination of cardio and weight training three days a week, keeps things more realistic.

“My job is to educate, then send you out to change people’s lives as well. If you love yourself, you’re going to be just fine,” Cindy says. “You’re not bound by who you are or who you used to be. There’s so much hope.”